GALLERY: Inside Steve Vai's Harmony Hut Studio

"Vai's guitar collection extends to a second wall in this large room, where he has more Ibanez models, traditional Strats and Teles, acoustics, and basses."

The back of Steve's heavily used EVO features a trem cavity plate made by a Chinese fan.

"Though he has a number of different vintage amps on hand, Vai primarily uses his signature Carvin amps when recording. "

"Vai's guitar collection extends to a second wall in this large room, where he has more Ibanez models, traditional Strats and Teles, acoustics, and basses."

"In the center of this group is the 20th Anniversary Jem, an acrylic guitar with swirled paint inside and an internal light. "

"Custom built by a fan named Allistair to match the illustration on that album cover, this guitar has built-in laser lights. Vai plans to take the guitar on the road and says it's actually very comfortable to play. He's having a costume made with LEDs to match."

"Also in Vai's collection is one of Joe Satriani's signature Ibanez guitars, as well as a carbon fiber acoustic, and a 7-string Ibanez."

Vai still uses his original Legacy heads in the studio.

"Vai uses his latest signature model, which was released at NAMM 2012, when recording and live. It features three channels, master volume, and master EQ. It's voiced like his original Legacy but with more flexibility."

"In the center is a recent issue floral pattern Jem, commissioned as a reissue of the original to its right."

"Vai's guitars tend to stray far from traditional, like the heart-shaped, triple-neck and these intricately carved ones. Also in this photo is Vai's Moon Jem used on ""The Moon and I."""

"The left side of his pedal setup has his ""fun"" pedals which are always changing. When we caught up with him, he was experimenting with a Red Witch Titan Delay, Red Witch Pentavocal Tremolo, Red Witch Medusa Chorus, DigiTech Whammy DT, and MXR Phase 90. He uses an expression pedal to control the Axe-FX II's whammy effect, as well as both a Morley Bad Horsie Wah and a Dunlop Cry Baby Wah."

"We spent a magical afternoon in Steve Vai's L.A. home studio. Here's a look at his 200+ guitars, live and recording rig, and custom studio gear. In this photo, we stand in the guitar room looking into the recording room."

"As the longest-running signature model, the Jem has afforded Steve Vai with opportunities for creativity--most of which are showcased on his wall. His original floral pattern guitar was made with fabric from his curtains, which he says changed the sound. ""I think these are some of the best-sounding Jems, with the fabric,"" he told us."

"For his stint on the Experience Hendrix tour, Ibanez built Vai this three single-coil guitar that he hand-painted as a tip of the hat to Jimi's famous Monterey Strat. The pickups are custom DiMarzios voiced to have traditional Strat tones. While Vai normally prefers a rosewood fretboard, this one has maple to balance the single-coils."

"Steve's collectionяpart of which lives on this wallяis full of the various iterations of his signature instruments, as well as more traditional guitars."

"The majority of Vai's effects come from the Fractal Audio Axe-FX II, and most of his pedalboard is set up to control those. Vai says he has a select few pedals to use in conjunction, and he likes to experiment with new pedals all the time. "

"For the most recent incarnation of his signature model, Vai chose a seafoam green color after seeing it on a vintage Thunderbird car. This particular one has a Sustainer pickup, which he uses on occasion."

"In keeping with his idea of having all different flavors and tools at his disposal, his collection also includes a Carvin 12-string, Gibson Les Paul, and more."

"Home to Steve's extensive collection of guitars, this room also contains storage for his amps and pedals so everything can be called into action at a moment's notice. The cabinet doors on the far left house shelves of pedals. Steve says he plays all of the guitars, and only collects ones he finds useable. His collection is varied, with 7-strings, baritones, and double-necks of all styles (but of course, it's heavy on his signature Ibanez Jem model)."

"Vai's most famous Jem is Evo, which he uses for about 60 to 70 percent of all live and studio work. The guitar holds a lot of emotional investment. ""It's not even the easiest guitar to play, but it sounds great,"" he says, noting that the body and neck resonate at the same frequency."

"One standby pedal on Vai's pedalboard is his signature Ibanez Jemini distortion, which has two channels of distortion. "

"In the center of this group is Vai's 10th Anniversary DNA guitar, with his own blood swirled into the paint."

"Vai has his Fractal MFC-101 foot controller set up as a pedalboard, with five presets per bank, and uses an expression pedal for whammy and volume."

"In keeping with his idea of having all different flavors and tools at his disposal, his collection includes a Carvin 12-string, Gibson Les Paul, and more."

"Vai customized this dipped Ibanez 7-string by literally taking a blow torch to it. He uses the 7-string for the songs ""Weeping China Doll,"" ""Velorum,"" and ""The Story of Light."""

"In the recording side of his studio, Vai has a wall of various acoustic instruments that can be called upon if that specific flavor is needed. His console is a custom 500 series customizable console by Tree Audio. It has two rows of 500-series modules with compressors, limiters, and EQs that can be swapped out, as well as a section sized for conventional Neve modules. He situated the EQ so that he doesn't have to move out of the best listening window to adjust it. He uses Ocean Way monitors."

"A recent discovery for Vai, the Axe-FX II provides nearly all of the effects for Steve's live rig. He doesn't use it much in the studio because he says he prefers to record dry and add effects later."

"Vai's guitar collection extends to a second wall in this large room, where he has more Ibanez models, traditional Strats and Teles, acoustics, and basses."

Rebecca Dirks graduated from the University of Iowa with degrees in journalism and art, and joined Premier Guitar as an intern in 2007. She lives in the Iowa City area with her husband, two giant dogs, and more cats than are appropriate to mention. When not petsitting, she enjoys challenging herself in the kitchen, watching the Packers dominate, and discovering new music or rediscovering old favorites.

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